brake for moose!!!! let's all be careful!!!

erugs said:

In the Jackson Hole area there are signs, if I remember correctly, advising that you always drive at night with a lookout helping you spot wildlife crossing the road.

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I remember seeing this in Wyoming :

Wildlife Ahead, means slow down, that bull moose, is some cow's beau, slow down

road signs are on Hwy 89 in Jackson Hole Wyoming. Courtesy of Teton National Park

About 50 yards south of Pinkham Notch Visitors Center. I'll spare you the picture of the State/USFS pickup truck dragging the moose off the road with chains.

Billy, based on your photo, it looks to be broad daylight...... it SHOULD be even easier to spot the moose in the daylight......??????? How are people driving THAT FAST so near not ONLY a moose-heavy area but also pedestrian-heavy area such as PNVC?????? That's TERRIBLE!!!!!

Becca M said:

Billy, based on your photo, it looks to be broad daylight...... it SHOULD be even easier to spot the moose in the daylight......??????? How are people driving THAT FAST so near not ONLY a moose-heavy area but also pedestrian-heavy area such as PNVC?????? That's TERRIBLE!!!!!

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I can't read that speed limit sign in the distance, but isn't it 55 there? (Not that it should be! ).

No Moose in the town where I live (that I have ever seen anyway) but plenty of white tail deer. When I drive to NH or Maine (or even NE Vermont), I apply the same philosophy with Moose as I do with deer at home, there is no such thing a ONE Moose. With deer, it is very rare for me to see one deer cross the road without being followed by others.

Allegedly there are Moose in the Adirondacks but I never seen one there.

As for the photograph, it was taken during daylight, how do we know when the collision took place ? Do we know the driver was not watching TV, texting, trying to program the GPS, or talking on the phone such it it really did not matter what time of day the collision took place ?

As far as I know, I generally see the Moose well ahead of time by looking for movement, so the color does not really matter that much. The human eye detects movement easily, if you are paying attention. Going slow is a poor substitute for being alert. If slowing from 55 to 45 saves lives, should not slowing from 45 to 35 save lives too ? How about 25 ? If you are driving 45 are you endangering lives, both moose and humans ?

As a "local" the reality is that if every moose heavy spot was posted at a lower speed limit most of I93, RT 2, Rt 115, RT 302, Rt 112, Rt 26, RT 16 would be predominantly posted at a lower speed limit.

Most of these roads in addition to being routes to hiking trails, are essential for commerce in the area. To try to post them at a lower speed limit in the hopes of avoiding a moose accident is just not a viable solution. The moose population in NH is quite high and I suspect that with the exception of spring, most mature moose have staked out territories well away from roads, while the yearlings and weaker animals get pushed out on the fringes of good moose territory onto the edges of roads. Whether we like it or not there are no natural predators for moose in NH (with the exception of winter ticks) and automobile accidents may inadvertently have become a means of population control, albeit a poor one for the moose and the drivers.

I happened to drive by Pinkham this weekend and there was a younger moose grazing in the pond to the right of the photo, accompanied by a large crowd of tourists getting as close as they can to the moose and the tourists dont practice stealth techniques. Frequently this will precipitate a moose to move away from the crowd and possibly into the road, although not knowing when the accident occured that is speculation.

All it takes is a half-second of looking down at spilled coffee, switching the radio, or any other distraction timed with a moose changing direction into the road for an accident to occur.

jrbren said:

No Moose in the town where I live (that I have ever seen anyway) but plenty of white tail deer. When I drive to NH or Maine (or even NE Vermont), I apply the same philosophy with Moose as I do with deer at home, there is no such thing a ONE Moose. With deer, it is very rare for me to see one deer cross the road without being followed by others.

Allegedly there are Moose in the Adirondacks but I never seen one there.

As for the photograph, it was taken during daylight, how do we know when the collision took place ? Do we know the driver was not watching TV, texting, trying to program the GPS, or talking on the phone such it it really did not matter what time of day the collision took place ?

As far as I know, I generally see the Moose well ahead of time by looking for movement, so the color does not really matter that much. The human eye detects movement easily, if you are paying attention. Going slow is a poor substitute for being alert. If slowing from 55 to 45 saves lives, should not slowing from 45 to 35 save lives too ? How about 25 ? If you are driving 45 are you endangering lives, both moose and humans ?

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Yup there are ADK Moose, several hundred according to the DEC. Locals sometimes post photos in delis, coffee shops, etc. up there.

Actually, I usually do not see moose in groups, usually just singles. But it never hurts to be aware.

Yes, slowing down will save lives, but like peakbagger said, there are trade-offs to everything. I suspect there were very few moose/horse-drawn-wagon fatalities back in the day. We accept the risk of driving faster for the reward of time (money?) saved.

Becca M said:

Billy, based on your photo, it looks to be broad daylight...... it SHOULD be even easier to spot the moose in the daylight......??????? How are people driving THAT FAST so near not ONLY a moose-heavy area but also pedestrian-heavy area such as PNVC?????? That's TERRIBLE!!!!!

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I agree, it's TERRIBLE, absolutely TERRIBLE !!!!! People should be banned from the White Mountains, so the moose can live free (and not die)

Tom Rankin said:

I can't read that speed limit sign in the distance, but isn't it 55 there? (Not that it should be! ).

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I'm pretty sure that route 16 is posted mostly at 55. If not, then it's 50.

Tim
p.s. Don't forget to brake for cyclists

Tom Rankin said:

Actually, I usually do not see moose in groups, usually just singles. But it never hurts to be aware.

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With deer I rarely see them alone. With moose it is a mixed bag. My best place for seeing Moose in my travels is when I drive to Sugarloaf from northern Vermont in mid May for the annual Sugarloaf marathon weekend. I hang around and hike Bigelow Mt the next day and drive back through US 16 along the Magalloway and Umbagog rivers around dusk. I have done a moose count on past trips with numbers above a dozen. I heard from past trips to Algonquin park in Canada they like the salty water from the winter road salting by the roadsides in spring. Groups of 2 and three were common, but strays were seen as well. So my philosophy is assume others are nearby if you see one. The groups were generally a mom and pups, the strays possibly the Bulls (my guess). Hard to tell in May as none of them have their antlers yet.

On speed I drive normal until I enter areas with poor visibility, where the forests come right up to the side of the road, or around curves, or over a hill, where a moose could jump out in front without me seeing them. When I see one I slow way down as the situation dictates, sometimes to stop, usually that alone scares them off in the other direction. Above all, be alert.

Good thread.

As many of you know from our post on this forum, several weeks ago we were involved in an accident with a moose in Franconia Notch just past the Basin. It occured at 7:45 pm. After running the situation through my mind, there was no way this could have been avoided. In the darkness we could not see the moose crossing into our path. There was no time to react. We were so lucky that it was only our van that was damaged and we are still here. I still feel bad for the moose.

All I can say is be extremely careful when driving at night.

The other night I was talking with my sister-in-law, who lives in Nevada, about our accident and she informed me that there are problems in certain areas of the state where the wild horses are running into cars causing many accidents and fatalities. These counties are in is the process of relocating some of the horses. Apparently, states have their problems whether it be deer, moose or horses.

Be safe,
Donna

I am bringing this old thread back to life as the annual reminder that despite the late season, the moose are out in the north country. For those new to VFTT Forest gnome was a "moose whisperer" who got some incredible photos over the years.

At the end of my road are two small wetlands adjacent to RT2, I have seen consistent muddy footprints crossing my road each morning but haven't seen the moose yet. Nevertheless if a moose is crossing my road its most likely is crossing RT2. I have also seen several recent tracked up moose wallows in the wet areas along RT 115. If the moose are active in the north country, despite their diminished population, they are most likely active all over the whites.

Older Thread

Here is an old thread with some video and cars, moose, and a moose calf just above the CT State line in MA.

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?53155-Reminder-The-Moose-Are-Out-(-Near-the-Ma-Ct-Line-too)&highlight=moose+video

Thank you for the reminder, peakbagger. The damage to vehicles is impressive, but the damage to the moose is something that will haunt you for a long time. If you have ever seen a wounded but not yet dead moose by the side of the road, you will be careful for a long time. I hope this isn't too melodramatic.

Whatever happened to forestgnome, anyway?

Forest Gnome moved out of the area.

By the way, when pulling out on RT 2 this morning, there was a dead cow moose sitting on the side of RT 2, second moose killed this year within a 100 feet of each other. Last week I saw 3 live moose along a 1/4 mile stretch of RT 115. The population may be declining in NH due to natural causes but there are still enough of the them to take great care driving at night and dawn and dusk.

Saw a dead one just south of Dead Man's Curve in Pinkham Notch this morning. :-(

I saw a turtle crossing rt. 113 in North Sandwich. There were signs warning about turtle crossings ... wonder why they wanted to leave the wetlands on one side to go bushwhack up a hill on the other? Gotta be a hiker riddle in there.

P.S. If you're ever a good Samarian and decide to help the turtle to safety, always carry the turtle to the direction it was heading. They are stubborn little critters that don't take advice to heart ... they kinda live in a shell. Moose on the other hand are willing to listen to suggestions.

While we're at it, apparently the deer are now moving around in full daylight. I saw one browsing on the side of the Taconic Parkway about noon yesterday, and then a couple of minutes later passed a flatbed loading up what was left of a minivan on the other side, with the victim all the way off to my side of the road. Passed another dead one shortly after entering Mass.